By Ishaya Ibrahim
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has ordered a probe of an allegation by Idris Okuneye in a phone recording alleging that he paid N15 million to operatives of the commission to drop a money laundry charge earlier leveled against him.
Recall that in April, EFCC arrested Bobrisky over allegations of money laundering and abuse of Naira. But the commission later dropped the money laundering charge against Bobrisky without stating reason for doing so.
In a recently released recorded phone conversation shared by Vincent Martins Otse between Bob Risky and an unnamed man, the crossdresser alleged that he paid N15m to EFCC officials for the money laundry charge to be dropped.
Bobrisky, according to the recorded phone conversation, also paid another bribe to be accommodated in a flat outside the prison to serve his term of imprisonment.
According to the phone conversation, Bobrisky claimed his unnamed godfather allegedly contacted the Controller General of Prisons who instructed that the crossdresser be held in an apartment instead of the Kirikiri prison.
The phone conversation also alleged that a senior human rights lawyer was facilitating a state pardon for Bobrisky through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
But in a swift reaction through a statement signed by the commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC chairman promised thorough investigation of the allegation.
The statement read: “Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has ordered immediate investigation of alleged bribery allegations imputed to some officers of the Commission by Idris Okuneye (a.ka.Bobrisky) in a viral video circulating across the country.
“Okuneye, an ex-convict had alleged in the video powered by Martins Vincent Otse (a.k.a VeryDarkMan) that some unnamed officers of the EFCC collected the sum of N15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Naira) only from him to drop money laundering charges against him.
“In a swift reaction, the EFCC’s boss has constituted a team of Investigators to critically look into the allegations. To this end, the Commission hereby invites both Okuneye and Otse to make themselves available at its Lagos Directorate to assist investigators unearth the alleged bribery.
“The EFCC wishes to assure the public that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated and the result of the findings made public accordingly.
“The Commission is committed to its core values of integrity, courage, professionalism and collaboration at all times.”